Covid in Scotland: Tighter restrictions anticipated ‘inside days’

Further lockdown restrictions will “nearly actually” be put in place in Scotland within the subsequent couple of days, Nicola Sturgeon has stated.

Talking at her every day briefing, the primary minister stated “quick and pressing motion” was wanted to sort out the expansion of the virus.

Ms Sturgeon indicated {that a} package deal of latest restrictions could be introduced inside the subsequent 48 hours.

A complete of 255 new instances had been recorded prior to now 24 hours.

That represented 6.3% of these examined, the third day operating the “positivity price” has exceeded 5% – which the World Well being Group has stated is a key benchmark for a virus to be thought of beneath management.

Whereas no new deaths had been reported, the variety of individuals handled in hospital rose to 73, a rise of 10.

Ms Sturgeon stated: “I have to be completely straight with individuals throughout Scotland, that extra restrictions will nearly actually be put in place in Scotland over the subsequent couple of days.

“Hopefully this will likely be with four-nations alignment, but when essential it should occur with out that.”

She stated a gathering of the UK authorities’s Cobra emergency committee would happen, and that she could be chatting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson straight after the briefing.

Ms Sturgeon added: “In that decision, I’ll impress upon the prime minister my view that we’d like decisive, pressing and so far as doable given our particular person duties, co-ordinated motion throughout the UK.

“I will likely be clear that I’m keen to permit a bit extra time for four-nations discussions to happen earlier than making remaining selections for Scotland, however I will likely be equally clear that the urgency of this case will imply that we can’t, should not and won’t wait too lengthy.”

The primary minister stated she would make a press release to the Scottish Parliament on both Tuesday or Wednesday.

‘Transfer sharply’

Ms Sturgeon gave no element of what new restrictions could be launched, however stated the federal government was “very shut to a degree of determination”.

“On the coronary heart of this determination is an easy reality – the longer we wait to introduce new measures, the longer these measures are more likely to be in place,” she stated.

“If we transfer sharply now to get the virus again beneath management we will minimise the time all of us spend beneath any new restrictions.”

Public well being knowledgeable Prof Linda Bauld stated the seemingly choices might embrace journey restrictions and curfews or restrictions on hospitality.

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Ms Sturgeon added that there could be monetary help for individuals required to self-isolate, notably these on low incomes.

Whereas bigger fines for non-compliance had been into account, she stated a greater method was to “take away boundaries” to self-isolation.

She stated: “No person must be pressured to decide on between self-isolating for the collective good and paying their lease and feeding their households.

“If that’s the selection individuals face, then it should not be a shock to us that compliance ranges will likely be decrease than we’d like them to be.”

The UK authorities’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance earlier warned that with out additional restrictions there might be 50,000 new coronavirus a day by mid-October. This might result in about 200 deaths a day UK-wide by the center of November.

Sir Patrick stated the variety of instances was roughly doubling each seven days, and that speedy motion was essential to gradual the speed of improve.